12th September 2008

More things I don't like about internet shopping or payments.......
The fact that nameless individuals have your hard-earned banking details. I know, I know, there's usually a gold padlock or something to show that it's private, but nevertheless, being a worrying kind of a person.....
Specialised companies like PayPal don't seem to understand that sometimes I might want to use pounds sterling from an English bank account, and sometimes euros from a French bank account.....
I was recently successful in a bid for a creative writing project at the PeopleperHour.com employment site. But, how to make PayPal understand that depending on the country of origin of the payer, I want to choose the currency I'm paid in?........
Why do internet sites automatically assume they know all the questions you might want to ask? All seem to have a FAQ site, rather than letting you contact them specifically with your own individual query. I find myself shouting at the PC: I'm NOT a machine, I'm a person, and my needs don't fit into your pre-conceived idea of what I might ask......
Being British, but living in France, I find that if I do ignore all of the above and actually try to buy something, I still fall foul of the company's pre-conceived notions of my address. "What country do you live in? France?" asks the machine. Then the text changes to French! Grr....
"So, you want to pay from an English bank account? Sorry, we don't recognise your (French) zip-code." Grr.

I see that French law says that internet sellers have obligations - they must give rules on retractions and a delivery date. And if the buyer is not happy, you have 7 working days to complain. But, when you log in to complain, what happens? Yes, you guessed it, there's the usual FAQ boxes, which NEVER match just what I want to say to them!!
Oh well, back to the old and trusted method, then.......the 1950s style I love - walking into an actual shop and looking at actual goods. At least they won't disappear when the electricity goes off, or when I press the wrong button. And, even better, shops don't have a Frequently Asked Questions box at the entrance door.